


The Silver Wind

by Hizzy (Basalit_an)



Category: Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-22
Updated: 2012-03-23
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:32:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basalit_an/pseuds/Hizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>May Birch, the Champion of the Hoenn Pokemon League. After two years out of the region, she has come back. She meets a fellow trainer she thought she would never even remember, and this trainer finds himself suddenly sucked into her world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The May in this story is game-verse May, written in the "rival" position. As such, she has mostly pokemon that she caught in the game. The story also features a really obscure trainer found on Route 121: Bug Maniac Jeffery (that's his Emerald name. I believe his name is Brandon in Ruby and Sapphire).
> 
> I apologize here and now for anyone who may be offended by the speech impediment I gave Jeffery. This is what happens when one doesn't research before writing.

Jeffery sat down in the soft, dewy grass and took off his backpack. He checked on the egg he was carefully incubating. He had kept his pokemon in the day care center near Mauville City when he had been in the hospital in Rustboro City after suffering from a bad case of the flu. He didn't know how he had contracted the virus – he kept a great deal of distance from people as often as he could – but it sure put him in the hospital for four days. Luckily his friend had taken his pokemon to the day care center. But when he had gotten his pokemon back, he also unexpectedly received a pokemon egg that was believed to be from his two masquerain.

Now, he was sure it was close to hatching. He had had the egg for over two months now. He was getting excited about what it would be.

He took out some pokemon food he would occasionally get from his friend and released his three pokemon – two masquerain and a surskit – and fed them. He watched them as they ate happily. He loved his pokemon so much…it was almost crazy. He was often call a "bug maniac" for having three surskit. That was when he had three surskit. Now, he barely met anyone, thus no one called him a "bug maniac." He didn't like people much, and tried to avoid them as much as possible. However, the training his pokemon got from trainer battles was essential, so he was forced at least that much human contact, but he'd do anything for his pokemon, even talk to someone.

Hell, it was amazing he had a friend.

As he ate his simple breakfast of some fruit he had bought the night before, he noticed a girl who looked about a year younger than himself. He watched from the corner of his eye, wondering if she was a trainer and if she would challenge him. At first he thought she looked familiar. Then it hit him: she was May Birch, the girl trainer who had beaten the champion if the Hoenn Pokemon League. He had watched the match on TV at his friend's house. Hell, he had battled the girl once, but he barely remembered the battle. She had beaten him good, though.

He lowered his head and continued to eat his breakfast. He hoped she wouldn't recognize him. He had just been some trainer she had beaten a long time ago. Surely she wouldn't remember him. Besides him, Piccolo, his surskit, nudged against his side, her eyes on his fruit. He gave her a small piece, then shared the rest with his two masquerain. The bug pokemon were happy with their extra breakfast treat and, with his pokemon full for now, Jeffery returned them to their respective pokeballs.

The girl was approaching him. He wondered if he'd be able to duck out of sight before she got to him, but he figured that was childish. He just didn't want to have his pokemon get beaten like before. And if this girl could beat the champion, she surely could beat his two masquerain and surskit, especially if she had a flying pokemon.

She did have a flying pokemon. A swellow, if he wasn't mistaken. It had taken down his pokemon easily, almost with no effort.

But that was back when he had three surskit.

Now maybe he had a slight chance of beating the girl. Maybe he could just pull it off. He had developed his team with the greatest care. Sure, he basically had three of the same kind of pokemon, but each was raised with a different purpose in mind. Piccolo was his strongest pokemon, despite having never evolved. She was his first pokemon, also. Her move pool was strategically set to throw the opponent off, then attack with great power.

Above all, she knew Ice Beam. Bird pokemon were weak to ice-type attacks.

Yes, maybe. Just maybe he'd have a shot at May Birch's well-rounded team. He knew some of the other pokemon she carried. He had seen them in battle of TV. She had a camerupt. Camerupt were, if he was not mistaken, both ground and fire-types. Double weak to water-type attacks, which Piccolo had. May Birch also held a sceptile, which was a pure grass-type, perfect prey for bug-types. But what were her other pokemon? He was certain she didn't only have three pokemon. He had seen a fourth one on TV. What was it?

He couldn't remember, and he didn't like that uncertainty. But before he could have a chance to think of it, May Birch was standing right in front of him. He looked up at her. She looked a lot different than he remembered, but she had changed in the two years since her great victory in the Hoenn League.

"Good morning," she greeted friendlily. Jeffery stood up quickly, not bothering to dust off the dirt on the back of his pants.

"…You want a battle?" he asked, not even bothering to return the greeting. He saw them superfluous, unnecessary, especially if they were to battle. He had been mentally preparing for this.

"I was actually just going to ask the time," she said. "My pokenav's battery needs to be charged. But if you want to battle, sure."

Jeffery could have cried out loud at that moment. He should have just kept his big mouth shut. The girl didn't even want a battle in the first place! And now he had just talked himself into one.

He decided he'd be unable to reverse his mistake. He just had to live through it. He was prepared, except for one thing: he had no idea what her other pokemon were. He didn't like that risk. But there was no point in complaining about it now.

He clutched Piccolo's pokeball. Just as he was about to release her, May suddenly said, "Have we battled before?"

Jeffery had to keep a tight grip on Piccolo's pokeball to stop himself from throwing it out. "I don't know," he simply stated. He just wanted to get this over with! He had never known of a battle he had ever dreaded like he did this one.

"You look really familiar," she said.

"Can we just battle?" It took most of his will power not have yelled the last sentence. But all the same, May looked startled at his rather rude question. He didn't apologize, though. He wasn't sorry for being rude. He had a good excuse.

"Alright," May said quietly. She took out a pokeball from her belt and threw it up into the air, releasing just what Jeffery both feared and expected: swellow.

Jeffery released Piccolo quickly. He hoped his plan would work. He had maybe one shot with Piccolo, and he couldn't afford to waste it.

He looked at the large bird that stood calmly in front of Piccolo. He felt his palms get sweaty. This happened often when he battled – the excitement of battle would just make his palms sweat and his blood would surge through his veins. It was a weird feeling, but he didn't care. He liked it. It was the main reason he had decided to become a pokemon trainer in the first place.

But just as he was about to tell Piccolo his first command, he heard a strange sound. He turned around to see the egg, carefully settled in its portable incubator his friend had given him, was moving. His gaze didn't leave the egg until he saw the first crack. Then, he completely forgot the battle and ran straight to the egg and very carefully took it out from the incubator.

May Birch ran to his side and the two of them stared at the light blue egg as the small crack grew to about four inches. Jeffery's already increasing heart rate surged as he impatiently waited for his new pokemon to hatch. He was completely oblivious of May Birch kneeling at his side. Piccolo had joined him at his other side and watched curiously as the egg's crack grew another inch, then stopped completely.

Jeffery, May Birch, Piccolo and even May's swellow were all watching the egg intently. Any passerby would think the sight peculiar, but to those four, this was a sight to rival any sight they had seen. Unbeknownst to Jeffery, this was the first time May had ever seen a pokemon hatch, but it was something she had in common with Jeffery.

Another crack began about three inches away from the first crack, and it slid along the shell until it met with the first. When the two cracks intersected, a tiny little blue speck poked through. Jeffery had recognized that particular shade of blue: it was the same blue that every surskit shared.

Jeffery couldn't help but smile as he watched his fourth surskit hatch from its egg.


	2. Chapter 2

The tiny surskit blinked a few times at the bright sunlight. Its tiny eyes settled on Jeffery almost immediately and it made a tiny little noise as its first cry. Jeffery smiled brightly at his new pokemon. He couldn't have been more pleased to have yet another surskit on his team. He loved surskit. But above all, this pokemon would be another friend for him, and to a man who had only a single human friend, his pokemon friends meant more to him than most anything else. This baby surskit wouldn't judge him, but instead love him. It was all he could ask for.

May Birch smiled a bit to herself, then stood up. She recalled her swellow. Jeffery, now only remembering she had been there the whole time, looked at her suddenly.

"…Sorry this interfered with our battle," he muttered, turning his gaze back to his new team member. He didn't sound very sorry.

"It's okay," May said. "I understand." She put her swellow's pokeball back on her belt. She was starting to really dislike this guy. He was rather rude. She was actually somewhat glad she could get away from him now. "Perhaps we'll battle some time later," she said as she turned to leave. But when she glanced back at him did she notice just how happy he looked, and then it hit her. Maybe this guy was rude because he never talked to anyone.

The baby surskit began to make little whimpering sounds. It was hungry. Jeffery realized that he didn't know if a newly-hatched surskit could be fed the same things he fed his other pokemon. He figured his best bet would be to get to a pokemon centre and ask the nurse there.

As he stood up, he noticed May was still there, watching him. He glared at her. "What are you looking at?" he snapped.

May returned his glare. "I'm just making sure you're alright," she said, her voice rising a bit. "Why are you so rude?" Jeffery just looked away.

"I don't have time for this," he muttered to himself. He quickly packed up his things and returned Piccolo to her pokeball.

"Are you going to Lilycove City?" May asked. When he didn't answer, May repeated her question, her voice rising in impatience.

"Yes!" Jeffery yelled out finally. He slung his backpack over his shoulder. He picked up the baby surskit carefully and headed west towards Lilycove. However, May followed him.

"I'm heading there, too," she said. "So we're stuck traveling together." She saw the resentment register in Jeffery's eyes, and she could share his feelings. She didn't want to travel with this guy, even if Lilycove was only a twenty minute walk away.

Jeffery was quiet the whole time. He walked fast, forcing May to walk quickly as well. Luckily, the morning was cool and the view was very nice, with Mt. Pyre southward in the distance. Had May been in any other company, she'd have absolutely enjoyed this walk, but Jeffery had put her in a bad mood, despite witnessing the miracle of life earlier.

The moment they had reached Lilycove, Jeffery headed straight to the pokemon centre without a word to May. He was glad to get away from her. She made him very uncomfortable for some reason. He walked up to the counter and set the hungry surskit on it. The nurse looked up from her computer.

Jeffery explained how the egg hatched and that he had no idea how to take care of a hatchling pokemon. He kept his voice low so other people wouldn't hear him. He hated eavesdroppers.

The nurse smiled sympathetically and took him into the back of the centre. Down the hall were about seven doors on each side and at the end of the hall was door with a sign marked "Authorized Personnel Only." The nurse opened a door near the end and let Jeffery and his surskit in to the room.

The entire room was painted a pale blue. In the centre of the room was a steel table that was most-likely used for surgery. The nurse instructed Jeffery to put the surskit on the steel table. She checked the little bug pokemon.

"This is a very healthy pokemon," she said. "You can feed it leaves for about two weeks, then feed it any kind of food you feed your other pokemon."

"…Thanks," Jeffery said quietly. Then, "What sex is it?"

"Male," the nurse said. "Do you nickname your pokemon?" Jeffery nodded. His mind was already thinking of a befitting name for the new surskit. He looked at him and smiled a little. The baby pokemon rubbed lightly against Jeffery's arm.

The nurse opened a window and reached out to a nearby tree. She picked a few leaves off the branches and tore them up. She set the leaf bits by the surskit, who ate them up like it was his last meal instead of his first.

After he was finished with his meal, Jeffery put the surskit in his new pokeball. He left the pokemon centre and looked around the town. He could easily see the department store, the contest hall and the art museum. None of it interested him. He had been to the art museum once. It bored him. He decided to head to the beach. He didn't know why exactly, but he was feeling a little stressed and he hoped the beach would calm him.

The beach was nearly empty. It was still early for the tourists to go out onto the beach. The waves were licking the shore and the sound of the ocean did indeed calm him. He let out his pokemon, including his newest addition. They all sat together and watched the ocean waves.

After a while, Piccolo and Insetto, one of his masquerain, started to play around. They even invited the baby along. His other masquerain, Luncht, hovered by him and watched the other three play. Luncht rarely ever played with the other three, and Jeffery had no idea why. It was just how his pokemon acted.

Insetto liked to sneak up on Piccolo and Luncht and scare them. He would often do the same to Jeffery's friend. Piccolo never seemed to mind Insetto's little games. Even now, the baby surskit seemed to be enjoying the games and even trying to make up its own by running away from the other two and charge at them and jump over them. Jeffery found them amusing.

Unbeknownst to Jeffery, May Birch was in the ocean about a mile away from the shoreline, sitting on her wailord. She was training him, but decided it was time to head back in, since it was nearly lunch time. As Wailord was swimming towards the shoreline, May could see the little pokemon playing near the water. She wondered whose pokemon they were until she saw that they were two surskit and a masquerain. She knew right then that the guy from before was there.

It struck her she still didn't know his name, and frankly, she didn't want to. She didn't even want to talk to the guy, so she commanded Wailord to head down the beach a little bit before they swam in. When she was on the shore, she recalled Wailord. She headed down towards the town when she felt a small bump at her leg. She looked down to see the tiny black eyes of a small surskit.

She smiled. This had to be the one she had seen hatch just that morning. A bigger surskit and a masquerain joined the baby. The masquerain started to make a small growling noise at May.

"It's okay," she said. "I won't hurt any of you."

"Insetto!" called a voice. May looked up to see Jeffery running towards her with another masquerain tailing him. She turned to leave, but the baby slid in front of her. "…It's you," Jeffery said. He was directly behind her. She turned around.

"Yes," she said. "Your surskit seems healthy."

"He is." His voice was cold. He didn't like her at all. What did she do to him? Then it hit her: she had been just as rude to him that morning as he had been to her. While it was understandable, at least to May it was, it was rude, and she wasn't a rude person.

"Look," she started. "I want to apologize for this morning. I was rude to you." He looked surprised that she had bothered to apologize.

"…It's fine," he muttered quickly. He recalled his pokemon, calling them by their names, such as Insetto, Luncht and Piccolo. He picked up the baby surskit.

"What's your new surskit's name?" May asked. Again, he looked surprised, probably because she had bothered to continue to speak to him.

"…Haven't thought of one yet," Jeffery answered quickly. He turned away. It had just struck May that his speech was slurred a little. Had it always been like that? It may have. May didn't pay much attention to people's speech patterns. She also noticed he didn't talk in complete sentences. She wondered why.

"I'm sure you'll think of a good name," May said. She really was trying to sound nicer. She didn't want him to think of her as some snobby rude girl. Jeffery just nodded and turned to leave. "Wait," she said. He looked at her, this time, impatience in his eyes. "Look, we got off on the wrong foot. I really am sorry for my behavior earlier." She paused and took a deep breath. "Do you want to get lunch with me somewhere?"


	3. Chapter 3

Jeffery didn't know why he had agreed to go with May to lunch. Every voice in his mind was screaming for him not to, that it was a bad idea. He had better things to do with his time, like think of a name for his baby surskit. But there was something about May that attracted Jeffery. Maybe it the fact that she was another human being and, possibly, another friend. He did only have the one friend, and he lived all the way in Verdanturf Town.

But now, as they sat across from each other in a small restaurant near the beach, Jeffery was a silent as a Mt. Pyre at night. He kept his eyes on his mug of coffee and listened to the sounds around him: the clang of silverware hitting plates, the cooking sounds from the kitchen, and people's conversations, all melting into one giant blob of noise.

"Are you okay?" May asked. Jeffery looked from his black and rapidly cooling coffee to May's gloved hands.

"Yes," he said quickly. He found himself wonder what May's hands looked like.

"You're awfully quiet," she said. He finally looked up to her face.

"Don't have much to say," he muttered. May sipped her cola from a straw, and Jeffery couldn't help but wonder how she could suck.  _Get those thoughts out of your head,_  he mentally scolded himself. He really hoped May was not telepathic. She'd never want to speak to him again if she knew what was in his mind. He stared back at his coffee.

"Do you just not like me?" May's voice had a tone of slight worry in it, and Jeffery could easily identify it. He had had that same tone in his voice when he asked the very same question to dozens of people. Way back when he had three surskit.

"It's not that," he said, not actually answering her question, but putting her at ease anyway. It'll work for now, anyhow. Yes, he was just parroting what those dozens of people had told him, way back in the day, but he didn't really have the verbal skills or the confidence to tell her that he actually liked her. He didn't like anybody. How could he like some girl?

"Then what is it?" she asked, a slight tone of impatience in her voice. When he looked at her, Jeffery realized she must have repeated her question.

"Just don't have much to say," he said, quite honestly. He highly doubted she'd be interested in hearing about his surskit and masquerain, but that was all he had to talk about. He certainly wasn't going to talk about anything personal.

"You're a pokemon trainer," she said. "You must have plenty to say. Do you have any badges?"

"No," he said quickly. The waitress came with their orders, and he was grateful for the distraction. He immediately dove into his lunch, and found it didn't taste too bad. He didn't remember what he had ordered, since he had just ordered the first thing he saw. It was some kind of sandwich, and it tasted pretty good.

But May was there. He ate slower than he normally would and kept his eyes on his food. He didn't like eating in front of people, especially girls. He could remember way far back, when he only had one surskit, that whenever he ate his lunch, there would always be girls to give him disgusted looks. That was when he was in school, and everybody mocked him for everything. Especially the way he spoke.

Once again, May pulled him from his thoughts when she asked, "How long have you been training pokemon?"

He had to think hard. He didn't ever think of time on years, but of how many surskit he had. Of course, May wouldn't know how long ago he had only one surskit would have been, so he had to think back and count the years by his age.

"Ten y-years," he said finally. He blushed in embarrassment at his stuttering. He had trouble with the /y/ consonant sound. He had mastered "yes" since that was a word he said almost everyday, but any other word that began with a /y/ consonant sound, he stuttered. He didn't have to look up to catch the look on May's face. He knew she was starting to think of him as some kind of weird guy. Or maybe she had already, and she was just trying to be nice to him.

When May didn't say anything for a few minutes, he hoped she had given up on the questions. But when he glanced up at her, he saw that she did want to ask him something, but for some reason, wasn't asking him at all. He knew what that meant. She was about to ask him The Question.

When she didn't think of what would be in her mind a graceful way of asking The Question, Jeffery said, "Y-you want to know why I talk funny." He could feel May's surprised look.

He would have expected her to deny it, so she'd sound more "polite," as some people would define it, but instead, she answered honestly, "Yes, I do." Her voice was quiet, though. She had figured that this was a sensitive subject for him, and it was. That was usually the case for people who had speech defects.

He took a quick swig of his cold coffee, then said, "Had surgery when I was y-young." He tried hard not to stutter the /y/ sound, but failed horribly. At last, he looked at May. The expression on her face was nothing he could read.

"That's what I thought," she said, her tone light, as if it were no big deal. So she didn't give a damn that he talked funny. Now that was different. People would either mock him, be sympathetic to him or fake sympathy for him. She was the first person to not really care, or at least seem like it. He still couldn't trust her.

They finished their lunch in relative silence after that. Occasionally, May would look out the window and comment on some wingull out there or something, but at last she had stopped interrogating him. For that, he was thankful.

When they had finished their lunch, May looked at Jeffery. He was staring out the window. Still, she didn't know his name. In their conversation, she hadn't thought to ask him. Now, she wondered if he'd stand one last question. She decided to try it.

"What's your name?" she asked, rather quickly. She half expected him to give her a funny look for not remembering to ask him before, but instead, he just kept his gaze out the window.

"Jeffery," he answered. "And y-you're May Birch, the champion of Hoenn, right?" Now he looked at her.

"Yes, I am," she said, blushing a little. "I guess you saw my battle too." He nodded.

"On TV." He turned his gaze back out the window. He was done talking now.

After they had paid for their lunch and walked outside, Jeffery turned to May. His hands were deep in his pockets, and it looked like his fingers were, messing with whatever was in them.

"Thank y-you," he said quietly. May was a little surprised.

"For what?" she asked. Now he was shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He was such a nervous guy.

"Spending time with me." He looked away from her now, and she could see his cheeks get red. She smiled a little.

"You're welcome, Jeffery," she said. "Do you have a pokenav?"

"Yes. Why?" He was starting to look very nervous. She should end this before he fainted or something.

"So we can maybe get together again some time," she said. He had a disbelieving look about him, so she said, "I really did enjoy spending time with you."

He still didn't look totally convinced, but he gave her his pokenav number anyway. He walked away rather quickly when May said good bye.

Jeffery felt so nervous still, even though May was not with him anymore. His palms were sweaty and he was shaking a little. She had actually wanted his pokenav number. That he really didn't expect.

But then, a pure feeling of happiness washed over him. He had made a new friend, and this one was human. For some reason, she didn't think he was a complete and total loser. She actually liked him. It was more than he would ever ask for.

However, probably one of the happiest moments in Jeffery's life came to an end when he thought he heard May scream.


	4. Chapter 4

Jeffery ran back to the restaurant, searching for any sign of May. He found her, back inside the restaurant, talking with a boy who had strange white hair. She kissed him on the cheek, and suddenly Jeffery felt jealousy bubble up inside him. He couldn't believe his eyes, but it seemed that May already had a boyfriend.

So much for that plan.

Jeffery turned away and walked out of Lilycove City. He let out his baby surskit, which he decided to call Bogue. They walked along together until they hit long grass. A shuppet flew out of the grass, snickering its strange snicker and scared poor little Bogue to death. Jeffery, whose mind was still on May, picked up the baby and just kept walking.

A few hours later, Jeffery found himself in Fortree City. He looked up at all the tall trees and the bird pokemon that sat in them as well the houses built into said trees. The only buildings not in the trees were the gym, the pokemart and the pokemon centre. Jeffery liked this town. He always liked to climb into trees as a boy and he thought it would be the best thing ever to live in one.

But Jeffery, like most traveling pokemon trainers, wouldn't be settling down in any town for a while. Besides, climbing ladders until he was eighty may not be the best thing for him. He wasn't in the best shape of his life, and he figured he might as well just forget about it.

He was slowly falling back into his apathetic state of mind. It was that state of mind that nearly killed him a year previous.

But that was in the past.

Jeffery went to the pokemon centre. It was starting to get dark and Jeffery got a room for the night. He set Bogue on one of the two beds in the room and sat on the other. Bogue cried cutely at Jeffery and hopped on the bed. Jeffery laughed a little at Bogue's antics and laid back. He stared at the ceiling, thinking.

May had a boyfriend. Jeffery was certain of it. That kiss…Only couples do that, right? That's what he thought. But so what if she had a boyfriend? He certainly didn't care. It was her business, not his. He wouldn't concern himself with it.

Jeffery's stomach growled loudly. He was very hungry, but he was also tired from walking to far without rest. He took his glasses off and laid them on the side table beside him. He slowly closed his eyes and soon, he was asleep.

May left Lilycove the next morning, skipping a little. She was in a very good mood. It was nice to see Brendan again. She had been so surprised when he appeared out of nowhere, especially when he tickled her.

He certainly had grown stronger since the last the two met. His swampert was especially strong. They had a quick double battle, just for old time's sake.

May had used her faithful swellow and camerupt. Brendan had chosen his swampert and, strangely enough, a masquerain.

"When did you get a masquerain?" she had asked him after the battle.

"Found a huge swarm of surskit a few months back," he explained. "It just evolved."

Needless to say, May had come out of that battle victorious, although Camerupt had been taken down by the swampert. That was no surprise to May, however, considering the type disadvantage.

Something caught May's eye suddenly, and she stopped dead in her tracks. It was a rustle in the long grass that surrounded the worn path in the road. May's eyes darted over the tall stalks of grass until she saw the movement again – ever so subtle it was, but she saw it just the same.

That could be no trainer. It had to be a pokemon. And May sure loved catching pokemon.

She released her swellow. The bird pokemon perched on a high branch, its sharp eyes scanning the grass from above. Sensing May's command, the swellow dove for the movement just as the words left May's lips.

Swellow's sharp beak made contact with the hard yet furry surface of an absol's back. Startled by the sudden attack, the dark-type darted and disappeared in the grass. Swellow flew up to find it and, after finding the rustling stalks that outlined the absol's path, whipped up a strong wind that drove it out of the grass.

Exposed, the absol growled ferociously at May and her swellow. As swellow dove for another peck attack, the absol reared up and gave the bird-type a painful scratch to the face. Swellow fell back with a cry, but soon recovered. It flew up and whipped wind up at the loose dirt surrounding the battlefield, encasing it in a thick veil of dust.

Disorientated, the absol whipped around, trying figure out where its flying opponent would appear. When the sharp beak connected with its back once again, it couldn't help but utter a cry. Still very young, the absol couldn't take much more. It staggered a bit, then fell to its knees.

May took out a fresh pokeball and chucked it at the fallen absol. The ball hit the pokemon, encased it, then fell to the ground, shaking. A moment later, the ball settled down and, with a soft  _ping_  sound, May knew the dark-type was hers.

May let out a cheer and congratulated her swellow on a good battle. She returned it to its pokeball, then picked up the one that held her newest addition. She let out the still-injured pokemon. It growled at her weakly.

May knelt down by it and slipped her bag off her arm. She opened a side pouch and took out a super potion. Spraying the liquid medication on the absol's wounds, she watched its eyes and teeth. She had caught hostile pokemon before, and had the scar on her left hand to tell the tale.

But the absol calmed down, relieved from pain, and stood up. It turned and looked at May, and she could have sworn she saw a look of appreciation in its crimson eyes. She smiled and puts her hand to the pokemon's nose. It sniffed twice, licks her gloved finger once, and decided May would be a suitable trainer for it.

Jeffery walked down Route 119, looking at the waterfall to the north of the route. He could see carvanha, magikarp and tentacool. For a while, he liked water pokemon, and always wanted one. While surskit were indeed water-types, he always had secretly longed for a goldeen or feebas to raise. He had heard that feebas evolved into a beautiful pokemon called milotic. He wanted to see that happen.

But feebas were extremely rare. He'd have a better chance at finding a goldeen.

Too bad he didn't have a fishing rod.

He crossed the bridge, glancing every once in a while down at the fish pokemon swimming about in the cool water. He got to thinking what it would be like to raise other types of pokemon, like fire-types or rock-types. Maybe he'd give it a shot.

Or maybe he'd just forget about it, like he usually did with all the seemingly great plans he thought of.

Once the thoughts of pokemon were out of his head, the thought of May invaded. He found himself wondering where she might be, if she was with her boyfriend. He wondered what they did the previous night.

He wondered if she might do some of those things to him…

He stopped dead in his tracks and sighed audibly. Those thoughts were invading his mind again. If anyone could ever read his mind, especially when he was around girls, they would think he was some kind of perverted rapist. But he couldn't help it. Being a man who got very little human contact, let alone female attention, he found himself thinking dirty thoughts.

 _Or impure thoughts, as Mother would say,_  he though with a small chuckle. He continued walking, now letting himself think those dirty thoughts. He thought of what he'd like to do to May, what he'd like for her to do to him. They were only thoughts, and he certainly wouldn't act on them.

Especially if she had a boyfriend.

Hell, he could think these thoughts all he wanted. It was very unlikely he would ever see her in person again, so it was perfectly fine. The most he had to worry about would be someone with an alakazam.

Archie looked out from a small house in Fortree City. Having escaped the law, Archie, the former leader of Team Aqua, fled to Fortree City, living under the false name of Sam. Ever since the incident with Kyogre a few years back, he had been evading the law. He'd had to change his looks, even resorting to minor plastic surgery. Finally, he thought he had found the perfect place, in a town up in the trees. No one would figure he'd be living here.

But when the Birch girl came to town, Archie felt as sudden rush of panic. She knew his voice, even if his face had changed beyond recognition. He had once been a preachy son of a bitch. Now, he kept as quiet as he could. But if he uttered one syllable with her around, she would immediately know who he was.

He worked at the pokemon centre. She certainly would stop there before moving on, maybe stay the night.

He decided he would get rid of her, the only living person who could ever connect him to his past identity.


	5. Chapter 5

_Where am I? I look around. I'm in a room of some kind. A bedroom. A girl's bedroom…Pokedolls everywhere, of every kind of pokemon. Gulpin. Duskull. I can even see a surskit doll! Posters of some kind adorn the wall. Above the bed, I can make out a poster featuring a pikachu and two pichus._

_I am lying in the bed, naked, under the soft green covers. The sheets are warm. Beside me, it seems someone was there. The sheets are wrinkled where someone had been lying beside me. But who?_

_Things come to me: the sound of water running. A shower is on somewhere. I look around in the dim room. I can make out two doors, one of which has a light coming from under the door. A bathroom. Someone is taking a shower._

_I sit up slowly, squinting to make out more of the room. In a corner, a computer sits, turned off for the night. A TV, a Game Cube with a Game Boy set as a controller, both pink. The clock on the wall, with glowing hands, showing the time as midnight. On the dresser, eight pokeballs sit._

_The shower shuts off. I look toward the bathroom door. It slowly opens, condensation slowly rising from the lit room. A curvy figure emerges, only its silhouette visible. As it approaches me, I feel my breath growing short. I feel myself grow hard, though I am still wondering who this figure is._

_The smell of lavender reaches my nose, and I take the pleasant scent in as the figure reaches out and feels my cheek. The hand is still damp, warm from the shower. The hand is perfect, the fingers long and graceful, the color reminds me of the moon. I look up and am met with emerald eyes. May…_

_The towel drops from around her body, a body still damp and smelling of lavender. Without realizing it, I wrap my arms around her waist, pull her onto the bed and let my hands explore her beautiful body._

_She smiles ever so pleasantly and kisses slowly at my chest. Her long fingers move over my body. I must have made a strange noise, because she giggles. She kisses my lips, hers so soft. She moves under the covers with me and…_

Jeffery woke up to the sunlight shining in his eyes. He looked around him, realizing where he was: still on Route 119, camping under a shady tree. He was soaking wet. It must have rained during the night.

He laid still for a time, thinking about what he had just dreamed. May, him. Together. He stared up at the leaves of the tree, his vision too blurry to make out any individual leaves. His glasses lay beside him, wet. Had it not rained during the night, there would have been a curious wet spot in the crotch of his pants.

He found his curiosity of May to be almost cancerous. It started with her hands and now it moved to all of her body. He found himself thinking her boyfriend must be one lucky man. He had never thought of a girl as much as he thought of May Birch.

He suddenly heard footsteps. He sat up, grabbed his glasses and started to dry them off on his shirt until he realized his shirt was just as wet as his glasses. He sighed and dug into his damp pack for any form of a dry cloth. The map he kept in there was soaked and useless. Everything else was kept in plastic just incase he were caught in a storm. He took out his last clean shirt and was just drying his glasses off when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"What happened to you?" Jeffery froze. He put his glasses on, stood up and turned around. There she was, May Birch, in the flesh.

He didn't answer her question, just picked up his pack, stuffed his clean shirt in it and closed it, slinging it over his shoulder. Then, a sudden case of the chills took hold of his body, and he involuntarily shivered.

"You must be freezing," May said, stepping closer to him. He just shook his head and tried to step away from her, but realized the trunk of the tree he had slept under was now pressed against his back. Then he sneezed.

May's gloved hand suddenly slipped into his and he found himself being pulled away, towards Route 118.

"You need to get some place warm," she said. Jeffery pulled away, glaring at her now.

"I'll be fine!" he yelled. May blinked twice, and then turned away from him.

"Fine," she said, and walked away.

May sat in the restaurant of the pokemon center in Mauville City. She was tense with anger at Jeffery. She supposed she was being rather pushy, but he didn't need to yell like he did. She was only trying to be helpful. He looked sick; his face had been flushed and he had been shivering. Looking at her pokenav, she scrolled through the numbers until she came upon Jeffery's. She had tried three times to call him the previous night, but all to no avail.

That boy was so exasperating. Yet, he still mystified her. The way he acted, he seemed to never have had human contact before. His only friends were his pokemon. She wondered how lonely he must get, not having any humans to talk to.

But that didn't make up for his rudeness. Why was he such a mean guy? He certainly wasn't that way with his pokemon. He was so…eccentric. Yes, that word fit him perfectly. He was so amazingly eccentric, and it fascinated her.

Sighing out her anger, she tried to call Jeffery one more time. She stared blankly at her glass of cola, watching the carbonated liquid release endless bubbles as she listened to the ringing in her ear. Just as she was about to give up, she heard a click, then Jeffery's voice.

"What is it?" he asked. He sounded breathless, as if he had just ran a twenty-mile marathon.

"Jeffery? Are you alright?" May asked, genuinely concerned. He didn't look very healthy earlier. She hoped he wasn't getting worse.

"I'm fine," he grunted. "What do you want?" She heard him cough hard a few times.

"Where are you?" There was a pause.

"Why do you want to know?" He sounded very defensive.

"You don't sound very well and I want to see you in person to make sure you aren't dying." May realized the sarcasm in her voice, and semi-regretted it. She was never sarcastic with anyone.

"I said I'm fine!" Jeffery yelled, loud enough for the blond boy at the table next to her to turn around. May heard a click and the line went dead.

Fuming, she snapped her pokenav shut and gulped her cola.  _Forget him_ , she told herself.  _He isn't worth your time if he's going to be unpleasant like that._

But as the time past, and May had calmed herself with a slice of fresh-baked chocolate cake, she found herself wondering about Jeffery again. She told herself he was fine, that he wouldn't take her help if she were to offer it again, and that he'd just be even more unpleasant.

But still, she couldn't help wondering, which is why she had sent her swellow out to look for him.


	6. Chapter 6

The swellow soared gracefully in the sky, its wings outstretched and it blotted out the sun. Against the bright light of the day, it looked black and grey instead of blue and white. Well, at least it did to Jeffery.

Despite sitting in the warm sunlight, Jeffery still felt cold. He stared up at the swellow in the sky, wondering distantly if he should perhaps trainer other pokemon besides bug pokemon. Bug pokemon were, after all, bug pokemon, and that made them…

He lost his train of thought suddenly. He coughed hard a few times and sighed. He didn't feel well. He supposed he should get going and get to the next town, but he didn't want to move. Above him, the swellow circled in the sky like a skarmory would before it dove in for the kill. Maybe this swellow would decide to eat him.

Then maybe he should move.

Sitting up took some effort, but he made it. He coughed again, spitting out some phlegm. Alright, he'd admit he was sick, probably from sleeping in the cold rain. And yes, he probably should have gone with May, but his dream had disturbed him enough to not want to be around her.

 _And she has a boyfriend._  The thought invaded his mind, and he felt a tinge of jealousy. But then, even if May was single, he highly doubted she would ever consider dating him. He was rude, didn't know how to talk to people. He hardly had the physique of a god. And…he trained bug pokemon.

Frustrated with his hardly coherent thoughts, he threw a pebble at a bush. He sniffled, wiped his nose on his still-damp sleeve. He'd probably feel better if he changed clothes. He reached for his pack when a wave of chills overtook him, which was then followed by a wave of nausea. He laid face-down and waited for the nausea to pass.

He saw the swellow land in his peripheral vision and he lifted his head to look at it. It was staring at him, cocking its head to the side. "Gonna eat me now?" Jeffery asked it, his body shuddering again. The swellow flew away, and Jeffery closed his eyes, still feeling nauseous. He'd just lay here for a few minutes, wait until he felt better, then he'd go on to Mauville.

Within minutes, he was asleep again.

Jeffery woke up some time later in a hospital. He looked about him, confused. Wasn't he just on Route 119? How did he get here? He felt a twinge of pain between his eyes, and he winced. He had a splitting headache, and he felt all sweaty. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and looked around, but everything was too blurry without his glasses. He heard a door open. Looking up, he saw a blurry figure in front of him.

"You always going to do this to me, man?"

Jeffery grinned. "Hello, Isaac." His one and only human friend, Isaac, must have found him or something. That made sense. Isaac always seemed to be helping in some way. "Where are my glasses?"

"On the table on your right." Jeffery felt to the right, found the table, then his glasses. Putting them on, he looked up at his friend. He looked irked. "Why can't you take care of yourself?"

"I was on my way to Mauville, man," Jeffery answered, but his voice was broken by a series of coughs. "Why are you so pissed?"

"I'm not pissed," he said calmly and leaned back against a wall. "But you had your girlfriend worried."

"Girlfriend?" Jeffery shot up. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Well, the girl who found you certainly acted like you were her boyfriend. In any case, you better take it easy, man. Nurse said you had a real bad fever."

"Who was she?" Jeffery leaned forward ever so slightly.

"The nurse?" Isaac asked.

"No, the girl." Jeffery's voice rose just the smallest bit, then broke and he fell into another fit of coughs.

"I didn't catch her name," Isaac said when Jeffery calmed down. "But she had a swellow with her. A pretty nice one, too. She must be a damn good pokemon trainer."

 _Swellow?_  Jeffery thought.  _I remember a swellow. It was going to…what?_  He rubbed his head, racking his brain to remember, but his thoughts refused to make sense. He felt like his mind was in a fog, and thinking seemed to hurt.

"You okay, man?" Isaac asked, taking a step toward him.

"Just a headache," Jeffery muttered and laid back in the bed.  _Was that girl May?_  he wondered. "She still here?"

"Who?"

"The girl!"

"Calm down, man," Isaac said irritably. Jeffery glared at the ceiling. "She went out a few minutes ago. I don't know when she'll be back." Suddenly, Jeffery felt very tired. He closed his eyes, just to rest them. He had to be awake when the girl returned. He had to know if it was May. A peculiar vision came to him. He saw May standing in front of him, smiling down at him.

He tried to reach out to her, only to find he couldn't move. Panic threatened to take him, but May reached down and put her soft, un-gloved hand on his cheek. It was so warm; it calmed him immediately. A smile played at his lips as he gazed upon the beautiful girl in front of him.

She said something, but he couldn't make out the words. She kissed his forehead, her lips so soft. He tried to speak, but he suddenly found he couldn't move his lips, his mouth. He felt totally paralysed. Around him, the room became more detailed. He was still in the hospital, but now there was a lot more machinery. He glanced around. He couldn't comprehend what the machines were for some reason, but somehow he knew that he was not going to live.

He blinked at the revelation. He looked back at May, but she had left his side.  _May_ , he tried to scream, but he found that he couldn't even manage a whisper.  _May, where are you? What's happening to me? May!_

The room was getting hotter. He began to sweat profusely, soaking his bed, his clothes. Perspiration dripped into his eyes, burning them. He tried to rub his eyes but he couldn't move his arms.  _May, help me! Help me please!_

Jeffery awoke with a gasp. He shot up in his bed and looked around him. It was dark, and he didn't have his glasses on. He could barely make anything out. He groped at the table to his left, found his glasses and put them on.

He was still in the hospital, but the strange machines were gone. And May was no where to be found.

Rubbing at his forehead, Jeffery laid back. It was just a nightmare. He felt like he was burning up; maybe he had a fever, and that fever induced his nightmare. He decided that was the reason. But why had May been in the dream?

It hurt his head to think. He glanced at the clock on the wall, but he couldn't tell what time it was. He gathered it was night, though. Maybe only a few hours from dawn. He had fallen asleep. He had missed that girl, if she even came in.

A part of him wondered if she had come in. Perhaps she had touched him as May did in his dream. A part of him hoped May had completely forgotten about him. He wanted to forget about her. She had a boyfriend and a life of her own; he had no life other than his pokemon. They just weren't compatible, he thought miserably.

He took his glasses off and turned over. He didn't feel tired, but he figured he might as well try to get some more sleep. He dozed off, thinking about May's soft hands and soft lips.


End file.
